Through Tears
by DenizenofTwilight
Summary: "Friendship mattered not only to him. Memories of twilight sunsets, a starry night, and a pale girl would make him fight for what was right. But mostly he'd fight for her." Sora's thoughts before setting off again. NOT AU


**Warning: This hasn't been edited. You might want to hold off on reading this. Possible spoilers for BbS, Days, and Coded.**

**Through Tears**

The irony of where Sora sat now was not lost to him: the Papou tree. For as long as he could remember he'd sat in the exact same spot. Kairi was usually sandwiched between himself and Riku. But even on days when one of his friends couldn't make it, Sora was never the only one there. It was the same way that he was never the first one there; the same way that he never sat someplace else.

Now he was the only one on the aged tree. The way he looked out at the sky—the way he thought about the other worlds—was very much like what Riku's role had been. Riku had always been number one: the first born of the trinity, the first chosen for sports teams, the first one to receive a Keyblade (well, he was supposed to have been anyway).

How had it come to be that Sora was starting to take on roles that surely should have been designated for Riku? How had Sora ended up being the "Key?" How had he ended up being connected to so many hearts? How was he—the one who'd truthfully only wanted to see other worlds for Riku's sake—supposed to be the worlds' soul savior? The soul adventurer?

The sound of Riku's footsteps as he strode towards Sora was enough to pull him out of his reverie. "Riku," The Keyblade master acknowledged with no further words. In all honesty he was still too shocked to _form_ words.

It had been mere minutes (or perhaps hours) since Kairi had joined Sora and Riku where the two perched. The letter she'd brought with her—the letter that the King had sent them—had been short and to the point. While Sora had still been able to think properly, he'd marveled at how only a few words held so much power over him and his friends.

_"I wanted to tell you immediately - there were memories asleep inside you, and those memory fragments connect to the future. Sora, Riku, Kairi, the truth surrounding the Keyblade passes through numerous connections, and were inside your hearts. Sora, everyone connected to you is waiting for you. The only one who can heal their sadness is you. It's possible, that the travels up until now may have been easy in comparison to what's next. Everything thought to be accidental was really connected. It seems the door to a new departure - is already opening."_

Shortly before reading the letter, Sora and Riku had been talking about how nothing would change. Sora remembered all too casually noting that, "...Nothing will." Sora's _world_ was nothing except ironic.

Kairi (not even around at the time to be shocked by the loss of Sora's dream) had been so shaken that she'd just walked away after reading the contents of the letter. Riku had been quick to follow after her. If not for the fact that Sora had an important decision to make, he would have been the first to go after her.

What did he really know? The worlds—as well as people strongly connected to his existence—were in torment. The King clearly wanted him to journey again, (not even ignoring the fact that this one would be the most perilous to date) really he was the only one who _could_ journey to save the worlds.

He would have to break his promises to Kairi. How many promises had Sora made on his three journeys? How many of them had he ever broken? None. How could he even entertain the notion of breaking the ones that mattered the most? After all, Kairi had made him promise countless times that, "...Wherever one of us goes, the other follows..." She'd also made him promise that he would teach her how to defend herself now that she had her own Keyblade.

Sora never kept _that_ promise. In the end, he'd thought his adventures were over and it would have been a moot point. Kairi had asked him once during their now brief (and wonderful) vacation why he hadn't trained her. The answer was simple: though he didn't regret a thing that had happened to him... battles were battles. Even for someone with a heart as full of light as his was, thinking about fighting in that way brought up too many painful memories and scenarios. He didn't want any of their blessed time together tainted by a sour outlook.

And as long as he kept Kairi out of the line of fire she'd be safe. Kairi was and forever would be his light. But if anything were to ever happen to her, she all too easily would lead him to darkness.

It almost seemed as though the people of the worlds weren't worth the heartbreak he'd have to put her through. But he wondered if he really had a choice in the matter. "... I think as long as the Keyblade stays with me... I'll have to keep fighting." Sora all too well remembered having to tell Simba this when the lion had pondered how long Sora's quest could go on. All Sora could do was hope; hope that at the end of this journey things could finally be the way he'd envisioned them; it seemed like it had been another life where he'd been a naïve boy. A boy building a raft with his friends.

But it was not only to he that friendship mattered. Every now and then he'd see glimpses: a pale girl amongst even paler rooms seeking companionship, a Station Tower at twilight with bonded friends, and now he could just barely make out a starry night with three friends that shared the same dream.

Sora knew he was making the right choice. Really, he knew that it never had been one. So when Riku (not unlike Axel) asks his best friend, "Your mind's made up?" Sora's able to reply effortlessly, "Yeah." While smiling to himself at how well Riku knows him.

And then the world stops, like it often seems to, when Kairi speaks Sora's name and his eyes fall on her. "Kairi." She's patient as he wars with what to say, "I..." Kairi nods her head in understanding, after which he goes to stand in front of her; he hopes that their close proximity will allow her to understand what's in his heart. And Sora feels that impossibly he may love her even more. Like always, she gives him the courage he needs. "It's just, they really need me. I have to go. I am who I am because of them." As he says this he feels that no truer words have ever been spoken. And yet they're false: Kairi makes him who he is.

Riku laughs slightly at his words, but he barely notices. Kairi's squinting her eyes to hold back tears and Sora's heartbreaks.

Kairi _never_ cries. She's always carried a strong persona. The few times Sora's cried during his journey is more than he's ever seen Kairi cry. And most of the time when Sora did cry it was for her: utter despair in realizing the Organization had kidnapped her _because_ of him; he'd lost her _again_ and feared losing her forever. Later, after helping to protect The Land of Dragons a second time, he'd been reduced to tears when the Emperor had asked Mulan to help Shang protect him. Seeing how happy the two were just at the chance to spend that time together… it had made Sora feel the first bit of hope he'd experienced in a long time. He _would_ find and save Kairi, and he would find a way to keep them together.

Kairi seemed to read his mind and finally she smiled before laughing slightly too. Sora was glad for her happiness; (even though he could tell it was somewhat forced) he'd cried enough for the both of them.

As Kairi once again gave him her most precious lucky charm, she also said the most perfect words, "See you soon." Sora knows no words could ever express his feelings. He pulled her into his arms at once. He found solace in knowing that it wouldn't be the last time he held her.


End file.
